STIs, Testing, Treatment, and Effects

Questions You Have Asked

  • Sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, are infections caused by bacteria, viruses, or parasites that pass from one person to another through sexual contact. This can include vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Some STIs can also spread through blood, shared needles, childbirth, or breastfeeding.

    Some STIs cause noticeable symptoms, while others do not cause symptoms at all, especially at first. This means someone can have an STI and not know it. That is why testing is important, even if someone feels fine. Many STIs are treatable, and all are manageable with medical care. Using protection, getting tested, and having open conversations with partners all help reduce the risk of spreading STIs.

  • STIs occur when bacteria, viruses, or parasites from one person enter another person’s body. During sexual contact, this can happen through contact with bodily fluids such as semen, vaginal fluids, or blood, or through direct skin to skin contact. These organisms enter the body through mucous membranes, which are soft tissues found in areas like the genitals, mouth, throat, rectum, and eyes, or through very small openings in the skin.

    Once inside the body, the infection begins to multiply. Some STIs stay localized, meaning they affect one area like the genitals or throat. Others can move through the bloodstream and affect different parts of the body over time.

  • There are over 20 known STIs. Common ones include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV, herpes, HIV, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis, and others. If you want to learn more about each one, click here to learn more.

  • It depends on the infection. Some can be cured completely. Others can be managed with medication. Testing and treatment early helps prevent complications and spread.

  • Some cause symptoms like pain, sores, discharge, or itching. Others cause no symptoms but can still damage organs, affect fertility, or weaken the immune system if untreated.Item description

  • Some show symptoms within days or weeks. Others can stay silent for months or even years, which is why testing matters. Click here to learn more about symptoms and testing.

  • HPV and chlamydia are most common. This is partly because many teens do not have symptoms, may not get tested regularly, and may not use protection consistently.

  • Bacterial STIs are treated with antibiotics. Viral STIs are treated with medications that control symptoms and reduce transmission.

  • Many bacterial STIs can be cured completely. Viral STIs cannot be cured, but treatment can keep people healthy and reduce spread.

  • Anyone who is sexually active should get tested regularly, especially with new or multiple partners. Different STIs require different tests. Follow the link below to learn how each STI is tested. Click here to find clinics who do STI testing.

  • Unprotected sex, multiple partners, inconsistent testing, substance use during sex, and lack of access to healthcare increase risk.

  • Some infections cause chronic inflammation or directly attack immune cells. Over time, untreated STIs can weaken the body’s ability to fight other infections.

  • It is rare in the United States today, but untreated infections can lead to serious complications.

  • HIV is a virus that targets CD4 immune cells. It enters the body through specific fluids and uses these cells to make copies of itself, gradually weakening the immune system.

  • AIDS does not spread. AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV and develops when HIV has severely damaged the immune system. If someone has unprotected sex with a person who has AIDS, they do not get AIDS directly, but they are at risk of contracting HIV, which can later progress to AIDS if it is not treated.

  • Yes. There is ongoing research into vaccines and cures. Current treatments allow people with HIV to live long, healthy lives.

  • HIV works by inserting its genetic material into certain immune cells. Once it is inside those cells, it becomes part of them and can hide in the body for long periods of time. HIV medications stop the virus from making copies of itself, which keeps the amount of virus in the body very low and protects the immune system. However, these medications cannot reach and remove the virus from every infected cell. Because some HIV remains hidden and inactive, it can come back if treatment stops. That is why HIV can be controlled but not fully cured yet.

  • Hormones are chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream and tell organs what to do. They control growth, puberty, mood, metabolism, and reproduction. The pituitary gland plays a major role by acting as a control center, releasing hormones that tell other glands when to turn on or off. Hormone changes are a normal part of growing and developing.